Can Puig measure up to past LAD age 26 seasons?

The LAD have quite a history of breakout age 26-year-old seasons for outfielders. I remembered about Kemp and Mondesi but had forgotten about Pedro and Frank Howard until today. When I created this list, little did I expect to see the name of Kal Daniels. For some reason, I thought he was much older when we acquired him from the Reds.

Damn, so much talent, such bad knees.

Heck, even Willie Crawford had a great age 26-year-old season.

Puig is entering his age 26 season, can he crack this tough group? Unlike almost everyone on this list Puig was already brilliant but that was three years ago. In the roto world, Puig was a number one draft pick in the spring of 2014, now he’s being drafted from round 15 – round 22. Most have given up on him being an impact player. That is when I like a player most. When the majority have passed on and are looking at the shiny new toy, just as Puig had been three years ago.

Seems like just yesterday that Matt Kemp was the toast of Dodger fans after losing the MVP to the cheating Ryan Braun . They were begging the McCourt group to sign him to a long-term extension and Ned obliged. Now he’s regularly made sport of as having a horrible contract. That wall in Colorado and that jog home changed the Kemp landscape forever.

Before Mike Piazza showed up, I always thought Pedro Guerrero hit the ball harder than any LAD I’d ever seen. I would have loved to have seen his exit velocity.

Kal Daniels had a swing of beauty. I can always remember Orel saying “I don’t care if he’s a statue in left field give me that bat in the lineup”. Or something close to that. But his knees ended his career by the age of 28. Crazy.

Never saw Frank Howard as a Dodgers but I sure saw Hondo in Washington where he became my favorite player.

Until Yasiel Puig showed up, Raul Mondesi owned the crown for most athletic right fielder the Dodgers ever grew on the farm. Power/Speed/Arm, Mondesi had it all and at age 26 he put it all together.